Moments
by CosmicScribe
Summary: Cloud is having trouble moving on, with his past constantly weighting down on him. In the aftermath of Dirge of Cerberus the WRO and their new AVALANCHE unit, have teamed up with the reformed Shinra Inc. to bring the world back to its feet. Now the planet needs Cloud at his best, and it seems only Tifa can help him come back to the present.
1. Prologue: Tears in Rain

The moment was nearly over now, a fact which Cloud felt guilty to be so thankful for. He wanted to assure his friend that everything would be all right, but in spite of Zack's pain-fuelled expression it was clear that he believed it already, an optimism that the two of them did not share. Cloud wanted to tell him everything that he hadn't the courage to before now, but his realisation of how unfair this would be continued to strike at his conscience. All he could do was listen to Zack's final words and rehearse them aloud like an unbreakable vow, knowing that this would be the greatest turning point in his life.

"You will live." Zack stated, bringing Cloud's head down upon his chest. "You are the proof that I existed."

After Zack had released his grip, Cloud slowly raised his head once again. Between Zack's small speech and blood now smeared across Cloud's face, he felt as though he had been knighted and baptised all at once. The thoughts continued to rush violently through his mind, a sense of helplessness that urged Cloud to do something - anything.

"My pride and dreams." Zack continued, summoning what Cloud observed to be every last ounce of strength in his body, and gently pushed his Buster Sword within Cloud's reach. "I give it all to you."

Cloud wrapped his fingers around the handle, gripped it tightly, and took a silent breath in preparation for what came next.

"I am the proof that you existed." Cloud claimed, gripping the sword in his hands tighter than ever, not once allowing his composure to falter.

With these final words Zack smiled at him, signifying his satisfaction that his life truly meant something, and finally drifted peacefully into what Cloud hoped would be a better place. He had thought that this moment would bring him a sense of clarity, but more than ever Cloud had no idea what to do. He thought back once again to the words left unsaid, feeling sickened by his own selfishness, and once again tried with all his might to speak them. With yet another failure a series of near-unnoticeable sobs escaped him, before Cloud let out a sorrowful scream that would bring the heavens to tears.

"I love you." He thought, knowing he would never speak those words.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm still amazed that I've finally gone out of my way to publish a story, as short as it's opening chapter may be. I hope you all enjoyed what you have read so far, and if you have any comments to express on the story then please make them known below! If anyone was underwhelmed by how short this prologue turned out to be, then I do apologise because admittedly I had expected a little more as well, but hopefully the quality-over-quantity approach will be just as successful this time around.**


	2. Chapter 1: Bad Dreams

It had been like this every morning for the past few months, waking from vivid memories of a tragedy long since past. It usually took Cloud a matter of minutes to gather the strength to rise from his bed, but on days like this he found things a little more difficult. On the good nights the memories actually felt like dreams, quick but painful flashes of a life he left behind him long ago. On some nights however, the images would linger just long enough for him to feel the guilt, and even remember the details. Every time this happened it would become harder to cope with than the last one, but he had enough practice to keep the cries just low enough, that the others might not suspect a thing.

"Cloud!" A voice called from just beyond the doors. "Hurry up, I'm about to put out breakfast."

"I'm coming!" He called back, swiftly wiping the remaining tears away from his face.

The voice belonged to Tifa Lockhart. a long-time friend and perhaps more if he gave her a chance, although every time he considered the option his conscience would bite back about how unfair it would be. Unfair to whom he would sometimes ask, unsure of whether he was seriously expecting a response.

Cloud was welcomed by the almost in-unison greetings of Marlene and Denzel, even before his foot had touched the last step on the stairs.

"Morning, Cloud!" The two of them sang cheerfully, before quickly turning their heads back and burying them in their cereal once again.

Cloud gave out a brief chuckle without meaning to, before continuing his walk to the the breakfast table. He received a short-lived glance from Tifa, as the red marks under his eyes caught her attention, then she returned her eyes to her weekly schedule while lifting an eyebrow.

"What's the plan today?" Cloud asked, with only a faint sense of interest.

"Reeve's picking us up in three hours time, then we're going to WRO HQ to start negotiations with Shinra." Tifa replied, her tone sounding almost identical.

"Negotiations?" Cloud nearly choked on his toast. "You would think that after everything they've done, they would just ask us how high."

"One would think."

"We'll see how things go."

A silence that didn't quite have the hallmarks of being uncomfortable fell across the room, inflicting this very effect upon Cloud.

"Who's looking after the kids then?" Cloud enquired, desperately trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, because we don't exist or anything!" Marlene retorted.

"Barret's stopping over while we're gone." Tifa stated, maintaining an insistent gaze on her schedule, as if out of refusal to look in any other direction.

Once again a silence crept into the room, which unnerved Cloud to no end. He sensed that this atmosphere was not lost on Denzel either, who had grown accustomed to this over the last few weeks.

"Is there a problem?" Cloud asked in an unintentionally demanding tone, finally breaking Tifa's focus as she flicked her eyes towards him.

"I don't know, is there?" She responded, lifting an eyebrow yet again.

Cloud kept a steady stare with her for a few moments, before accepting defeat and sinking back into his meal. Denzel and Marlene glanced around the table in shock and confusion, occasionally ceasing as they caught each other's glances. A well-timed ringing entered the room, drawing everybody's attention to the phone in the next room. Tifa rose from her chair surprisingly calm, breaking her fix on Cloud. She made it no further than the edge of the table when Cloud stood up, gave a subtle hand-wave type gesture, and left the room to catch the phone himself.

"Hello?" Cloud called, a desperate expression crawling across his face.

Next door Marlene and Denzel were deathly quiet, both hoping to catch a remnant of the voice on the phone. Meanwhile Tifa's change of expression into that of concern went completely unnoticed by the two of them, at which point she reverted to her usual routine in order to avoid suspicion.

"Are you sure?" Cloud's mouth shifted into a form that could easily be mistaken for a smile. "Okay, I'll meet you at the usual spot in forty minutes."

The clank of the phone hitting the receiver echoed into the other room, turning every head except Tifa's, who was still keeping up appearances. Cloud crossed the room and climbed the stairs, returning almost ten minutes later with a clean set of clothes and his motorcycle keys.

"Two hours and fifty minutes." Tifa reminded him, not once caring to look in his direction.

"Don't worry, I won't be long." Cloud responded, showing the same amount of courtesy.

The entrance door swung shut behind him, allowing one final tear to make its way down his cheek. The keychain made several cycles around his right index finger before he gripped it, pushed it into the ignition, and rode off into the sunrise.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Don't worry, I won't being doing this all the time! On the plus side I suppose it's an improvement in the quantity department, although I'm still hoping for a little more once I get into the swing of things. I've asked around and been advised to write as much or little as I want, as long as it feels correct for the story. If you do want me to put out a little more per chapter however, I truly would appreciate any useful tips you might have on how to get the right inspiration for it! In the mean time though keep a look out tomorrow please, as I'm hoping to get at least two more chapters done by the end of the night.**


	3. Chapter 2: Demons

Only six months had past since the World Regenesis Organisation, with great assistance from the brave members of AVALANCHE, had put an end to the ruthless war waged by Deepground. Despite their valiant efforts however, the effects were still being felt in the lives of those who had lost loved ones, a tragedy that was sadly far beyond the capabilities of even the most courageous of warriors who had fought in the battle of Midgar, for even they had felt that same pain.

Vincent Valentine, a former Turk operative, and a man cursed to live with the "gifts" forced upon him by the evil that was Hojo, were it that a man in his position could ever truly live. For him the war against Deepground was far from a simple fight, but more the kind of nightmare he had been running from for longer than he could remember. In the end he had faced his demons and won, but now a question plagued him that begged him to wonder if he could he help a friend do the same.

Gaia hadn't felt such a blistering heat like this in years, the sun scorching through the sky in a blaze of fury. From this high point Vincent could clearly see the remnants of Midgar, and not so unlike many others, he felt a waking anger as he gazed down at the old ruins. A city that had sheltered so many for years, while it had sucked the planet dry in the name of corporate gain. Suddenly Fenrir's roar rippled across the horizon, and just beyond it rode a man whom Vincent was indebted to in more ways than one. The bike had come to a steady halt before him, when Cloud climbed down from it without quite the same composure as his steed.

"What have you found?" Cloud demanded, attempting to maintain a deservedly friendly tone.

"I've found out what I could." Vincent paused, then his eyes fumbled blindly at the ground, hoping to find the worlds. "It's not really much to go on, Cloud."

"Just tell me." Cloud pleaded, holding back the tears for the second time this morning. "Even a little hope is better than no hope at all."

"I searched their house."

"And?"

"And based on letters to family and friends, Zack's parents weren't in Gongaga when Deepground hit."

"So that's good news!"

"Yes, Cloud, but they could have gone anywhere." Vincent's search for words continued around Cloud's feet. "Not to mention the fact that Deepground attacked hundreds, if not thousands, of locations that we still don't know about, and there are likely to be just as many ghost towns out there as a result."

Cloud's head dropped and he began to pace back and forth, his mind drowned by thoughts. It felt like yesterday that Reeve had told Cloud just how far-reaching Deepground's activities had actually been, which the WRO had initially believed to have gone no further than Junon. Vincent spoke the truth and Cloud knew it, but that didn't make it any easier for him to take in. Meanwhile Vincent was sharing the same stance as his friend, realising how cold his words must have sounded, but knowing they were for his own good if he wanted to get through this. Cloud was so very tempted to heed Vincent's words, return home to Tifa, and apologise for everything he had ever put her through. In a single moment of hesitation he turned his head towards Vincent, before forgetting whatever sense he had mere moments ago.

"Keep looking, Vincent, let me know if you find anything else." Cloud requested, although it certainly didn't sound like one, then turned around to head home.

"Cloud, don't do this to yourself!" Vincent pleaded, placing a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

"Keep looking!" Cloud ordered again, violently pushing his friend's arm away from him.

The anger that these words provoked in both men swiftly retreated to wherever it had come from, and was replaced with feelings of regret just as fast.

"Can I ask, why did you need me to do this for you?" Vincent enquired, trying to return the mood to friendlier terms.

"I figured that if anyone would understand what I'm going through, it was going to be you." Somehow a kind smile broke through with the words.

"I think you'll find we all experienced some kind of tragedy in our lives, Cloud, nobody joined AVALANCHE for the fun of it."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you don't need to do this in secret, you could tell the others what's bothering you." There was a pause, giving Vincent reason to believe he was actually getting through to him. "You could even tell Barret."

"I somehow doubt Barret would have quite the same required subtly." The earlier smile had now turned into a healthy chuckle.

"Perhaps not, but you see my point, we're all here for you if you need us."

The thought of this hit Cloud with the strongest feeling of nostalgia, allowing him to remind himself that he wasn't as alone as he perhaps wished to be. He wanted to laugh with joy at the idea of this, at the idea of AVALANCHE forming again to deal with another problem, although preferably with a little less conflict this time.

"I'll think about it." Cloud could read Vincent was somewhat unconvinced. "Really, I will, thank you." He threw in a smile of reassurance, just for good measure.

"Why are you doing this anyway, trying to find them?"

"Because I owe him that much, and I made a promise to live both of our lives."

"That's why we meet here isn't?" Vincent could see he had stirred something in Cloud. "Do you still feel as though you need to be forgiven, even after everything you've done?"

Cloud glanced over at that ridge overlooking Midgar, wondering how many times he had seen that view. If he tried hard enough he knew he would still be able to see Zack lying there, his blood still crawling across the ground as Cloud looked over him helplessly. Then he saw the flowers that had grown where his body had once been, which for some reason reminded him of Aerith's church in Sector 5, and the flowers there that should not have been. His attention quickly snapped back towards Vincent, who had developed a concerned expression in his silence.

"I need to head back, me and Tifa are meeting Reeve soon." Cloud rehearsed, doing his best to change the subject.

"Negotiations with Shinra?"

"Right."

"You'd think they would just ask..."

"...how high, that's what I said."

"Do you really think this is going to work?"

"I think we've spent so long fighting, that we forgot to actually help this planet heal."

"I know, maybe now the world will finally have some peace."

"That would be nice." As he said this, Cloud could swear he felt his whole life flash before his eyes. "I'll see you later anyway." Cloud then turned back towards a patient Fenrir, fixed his goggles firmly across his eyes, and turned the key in the ignition. "Thanks again." He finished, then sped on his way to civilisation.

"For what?" Vincent whispered to himself, pondering whether he had been any help at all, or just a painful reminder of how to let someone down.

He looked up at the sun, now at its highest in the sky, then turned back to Zack's grave. He realised that this was the first time he had taken any real notice of it, walking over and kneeling respectably before the blossoming flowers. Vincent bowed his head and shut his eyes tightly, before taking a long deep breath. He thought as hard as possible, once again searching for the words, knowing that this time he really had to make them count.

"We've never really talked before now, but I think this would be as good an excuse as any." He stopped briefly in a moment of adjustment. "The world needs him now more than ever, but it needs him at his best. Right now he needs you to tell him that he needs no forgiveness."

As steadily as before, Vincent rose from the ground, his face emotionless in the warm breeze that now drifted over the wasteland. He had faced his demons and won, but now he wondered if he could help another do the same.


End file.
